/bi suyd"/ , prep.
1. by or at the side of; near: Sit down beside me.
2. compared with: Beside him other writers seem amateurish.
3. apart from; not connected with: beside the point; beside the question.
4. besides (defs. 4, 5).
5. beside oneself , almost out of one's senses from a strong emotion, as from joy, delight, anger, fear, or grief: He was beside himself with rage when the train left without him.
adv.
6. along the side of something: The family rode in the carriage, and the dog ran along beside.
7. besides (def. 2).
[ bef. 1000; ME; earlier bi-siden, OE bi sidan, be sidan; see BE-, SIDE ]
Usage . For the prepositional meanings "over and above, in addition to" and "except" BESIDES is preferred, especially in edited writing: Besides these honors he received a sum of money. We heard no other sound besides the breaking surf. However, BESIDE sometimes occurs with these meanings as well.